Dillon v. United States

Dillon v. United States (2010) was a Supreme Court case that clarified how the "counting" of prior convictions affects sentencing under federal law. The Court held that courts should count only the convictions that occurred before the recent offense when determining whether a defendant has enough previous convictions to qualify for certain enhanced penalties. This decision ensures a fairer and more accurate assessment of a defendant’s prior criminal history, preventing the counting of convictions obtained after the current offense, which could unfairly increase penalties.